21 Best Ways to Earn Lots of United MileagePlus Miles [2018]

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Once your account is set up, you’re ready to go. So let’s dive in to the best ways to earn United miles!

Earn MileagePlus Miles With Credit Cards

If you really want to earn tons of United miles, the strategic use of credit cards is going to be your key to success. From transferable points to earning United miles directly through co-branded credit cards, you have several options.

1. Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards (Best Option)

Without a doubt, your best option to accumulate United miles is to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards. Points are transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio, they’re easy to earn and there’s no limit to how many you can transfer.

To participate in the Ultimate Rewards program, you just need a card that’s linked to the program. Whether you are looking for a personal card or a business card, Chase has you covered with each earning Ultimate Rewards points.

Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year: Travel, Shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.

The United MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card is very similar, but it also earns 2 points per dollar at gas stations, office supply stores, and restaurants.

While these cards don’t have as many bonus categories as Ultimate Rewards cards, they do provide a complimentary checked bag and priority boarding when flying on United.

Additionally, if you fly United regularly, these cards can help you earn up to Premier Platinum status. Spending $25,000 on these cards waives the Premier Qualifying Dollar (PQD) requirement when earning Silver, Gold, or Platinum status. The PQD requirement is not waived for United 1K status.

The Chase United MileagePlus® Club Card and the Chase United MileagePlus® Club Business Card also earn 2 miles per dollar with United, but they earn 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases. These cards also come with 2 free checked bags and Premier Access: priority check-in, airport security lanes, boarding, and baggage (where available).

These cards are more useful for the perks than their earning potential.

3. Big Spend Bonuses on MileagePlus Cards

Big spend bonuses are granted when you meet a large spending requirement; they’re different from a sign-up bonus that must be reached within the first few months of signing up. In the case of the MileagePlus Explorer cards, cardholders must reach a minimum of $25,000 within a calendar year to earn an extra 10,000 MileagePlus miles.

Maybe you’re not a big spender, but you may be making some large purchases in the coming months. Plan out your spending accordingly, and you might find it easy to meet the minimum for earning a big spend bonus.

4. Refer a Friend for Bonus Miles

Your referral bonus may differ from the one shown above, but you can often earn bonus miles for referring your friends to your favorite credit cards!

Every couple of months or so, Chase runs a limited-time promotion where cardholders can refer a friend to apply for the United Explorer℠ Card. The option to send invitations to your friends is very easy.

If the person you invite is approved and makes a purchase using the card within 3 months, then you will earn 5,000 bonus miles.

Earn Miles Through Shopping and Dining

Before you get any of these credit cards, you can start earning United miles by shopping online and dining out. However, using one of the cards above can really boost your earnings!

6. The MileagePlus Shopping Portal

Shopping portals are a great way to earn extra miles on purchases you were going to make anyway. You can earn United miles through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal. All you have to do is log in and start shopping.

There are over 850 MileagePlus retailers participating in the portal. Below is an example of a few of retailers and the kinds of earnings you can expect to find.

Some of the United MileagePlus Shopping portal partners are listed above with their bonus earnings rates. (Note that these may not represent current offers.)

Occasionally, a retailer will have a special bonus. For example, the Wall Street Journal once offered 800 miles for any order placed online at the WSJ store. With subscriptions starting as low as $12, that was a good offer!

The portal is very easy to use. Follow these steps before you begin shopping at a participating online store (or before you check out):

Select “Shop Now,” and the next loaded screen should look something like this:

Once in the United MileagePlus Shopping portal, you will be redirected to the selected store’s site to finish your shopping.

After a few seconds, you’ll be able to shop on the store’s website

Ensure you are still logged into the portal before you purchase through the store to be absolutely certain you will receive the extra miles

Keep an eye out for limited time promotions that offer even more bonus miles at your favorite stores. They will be featured rather prominently on the site and under the Offers section. Take special note of the ones listed as expiring soon!

7. MileagePlus X App

Use the MileagePlus X app on your smartphone to take advantage of extra United points earning opportunities.

There is a bonus shopping mall tool with United called MileagePlus X. Smartphone users can stack miles by using the MileagePlus X App on purchases. The app offers exclusive bonus earnings of up to 5 miles per dollar at stores and restaurants.

Miles earned through the app are in addition to bonus miles you earn in other ways. When you make a purchase in the app using your United MileagePlus credit card, you will earn miles from your card and from the app.

Select “Add a card” in your account and enter the details of any credit or debit card you want to use at restaurants

Use the location search at the top to look for restaurants near you

Start using the credit card you registered at participating restaurants to earn miles

You’ll earn up to 5 miles per $1 you spend at the restaurants through the MileagePlus dining program. You can also earn miles for special bonus offers (usually at sign-up).

The MileagePlus Dining Program offers bonuses from time to time, so it’s worth checking out whether you can earn any extra miles this way.

For example, at one time they offered a chance to earn up to 7,000 bonus miles for signing up, spending $30 or more at your first restaurant, and completing a short review within 30 days.

Sign up for MileagePlus Dining and get access to earn extra miles at places like the restaurant featured above!

Sometimes, even more miles can be earned by reaching certain spending thresholds. Recently, the program offered the following within 60 days of registering:

Spend an additional $100 and get 1,000 more bonus miles

Or spend an additional $250 and get 2,500 more bonus miles

Or spend an additional $500 and get 5,000 more bonus miles

If you have a big group outing coming up, pay the bill on your registered credit card at a participating MileagePlus restaurant. This strategy will help you reach the additional spending bonus in no time!

Hot Tip: Once you’ve signed up through the portal, you can register any credit card (not just a United one)! By using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll earn the most miles possible.

9. Rewards for Event Tickets

If you like going to music or theater events, then MileagePlus has a great way to earn miles when you buy tickets for events. With Audience Rewards, you can earn 50 to 2,000 miles per ticket.

Just register with the program using your MileagePlus number, search for tickets, and make your purchase to earn bonus miles right away.

10. Other Retail Purchases

The following are other ways to earn MileagePlus miles through retail partners and online shopping centers:

Company

Product or service

Bonus miles

Bose

Home theater, headphones, mobile options

2 miles/$1

FTD

Flowers, plants, gifts, & food

20 miles/$1 plus 100 miles

Mercedes Benz

A certified, pre-owned vehicle

Up to 25,000 miles

MyPoints.com

Shop online with partners including eBay, Groupon, Walmart, and more

500 at sign-up, 1,000 for shopping online (redeem for award miles)

Vinesse Wine

Wine

2,500 miles on first shipment, then 5 miles/$1

Normally, you receive 2 miles per dollar spent in the store, but occasional promotions will get you extra miles.

Earn United Miles Through Travel

We definitely focus on how you can redeem miles for travel. But if you happen to have some paid flights or hotel stays in your future, you can of course earn some United miles on them too!

11. Airfare & Airline Purchases

Not surprisingly, you can earn miles by flying on United. Maximize the number of miles you’ll earn when you fly with these tips.

Even without these cards, you’ll earn miles for flying as MileagePlus member. If your flights are operated by United/United Express or your tickets are issued by United (ticket number starts with 016), then you will earn miles based on the fare.

The base miles you earn will always be 5x the fare. If you have reached a MileagePlus Premier membership status, then the award miles you earn based on the fare will be even greater. Here’s the Premier status breakdown:

Premier Silver: 5x fare + 2x fare = 7x fare total

Premier Gold: 5x fare + 3x fare = 8x fare total

Premier Platinum: 5x fare + 4x fare = 9x fare total

Premier 1K: 5x fare + 2x fare = 11x fare total

All flights operated by partner airlines or Star Alliance members with tickets issued by an airline other than United will earn award miles based on the flight distance.

Amtrak rail service is a great option on this list. Now you can take Amtrak to over 500 destinations across the United States and earn miles for your coach or business class ticket!

The high rate of 750 miles earned through Amtrak is applicable when you book a first class segment on Acela Express trains between New York’s Penn Station and Boston or Washington, D.C.

13. Book With United Hotel Partners

Book with United Airlines hotel partners and earn extra miles for your stay! Pictured is a hotel in Miami, FL.

United MileagePlus has a tremendous number of hotel partners. All of these offer varying amounts of bonus miles calculated by each dollar or night spent.

You can find all hotel partners listed on United’s site, but here’s a consolidated list.

Hotel

Miles/Stay

Hotel

Miles/Stay

Hotel

Miles/Stay

aloft

2 miles/$1

Hawthorn

500

Raffles

500

Andaz

500

Hilton

2 miles/$1

Ramada

2 miles/$1

Ascend

250

Holiday Inn

2 miles/$1

Renaissance

2 miles/$1

Baymont

250

Home2 Suites

1 mile/$1

Residence

1 mile/$1

Best Western

250

Homewood

1 mile/$1

Rodeway

250

Cambria

250

Hotel Indigo

2 miles/$1

Rocketmiles*

1,000-10,000 miles

Candlewood

1 mile/$1

Howard Johnson

2 miles/$1

Shangri-La

500

Canopy

1 mile/$1

Hyatt

500

Sheraton

2 miles/$1

Clarion

250

InterContinental

2 miles/$1

Sleep Inn

250

Comfort Inn/Suites

250

JW Marriott

2 miles/$1

SpringHill

1 mile/$1

Conrad

1 mile/$1

Knights Inn

2 miles/$1

St. Regis

2 miles/$1

Country

250

La Quinta

1000

Staybridge

1 mile/$1

Courtyard

1 mile/$1

Langham

500-1,500

Suburban Extended Stay

250

Crowne Plaza

2 miles/$1

Le Meridien

2 miles/$1

Super 8

2 miles/$1

Days Inn

2 miles/$1

Luxury Collection

2 miles/$1

Swissôtel

500

Doubletree

1 mile/$1

MainStay

250

TownePlace

1 mile/$1

Eaton

250-750

Mariott

2 miles/$1

Traders

500

Econo Lodge

250

Microtel

2 miles/$1

Travelodge

2 miles/$1

element

2 miles/$1

Millennium

250-500

TRYP

500

Embassy

1 mile/$1

New Otani

500

W Hotels

2 miles/$1

Fairfield

1 mile/$1

Park Hyatt/Plaza

500

Waldorf Astoria

1 miles/$1

Fairmont

500

Park Inn

250

Westin

2 miles/$1

Fiesta Americana

2,000 for 2+ nights

Preferred Hotel

500

Wingate

2 miles/$1

Four Points

2 miles/$1

Quality

250

Worldhotels

500

Hampton Inn

1 mile/$1

Radisson/Blu

500

Wyndam

500

*Rocketmiles is an online hotel booking agency with thousands of hotels and resorts to choose from worldwide.

If the list above does not suit you, perhaps one of the partnering rewards programs will. MileagePlus has partnered with numerous hotel rewards programs covering hundreds of other hotels and resorts around the world.

As a member of any of the following, you must only indicate MileagePlus as your earning preference to start earning MileagePlus miles through them:

3x points at Hyatt properties and 2x points at restaurants, airfare purchased directly from the airline and car rental agencies

Annual Fee: $75

14. Book Vacation Packages

Search for great vacations combining flights, hotels, transportation, and activities at United Vacations. Use your United credit card when you purchase your vacation and earn a total of 2 miles per dollar spent.

Points earned from these packages vary depending on the combination, location, and dates you desire. There’s a great list of vacation ideas with promotional codes aimed to earn you a set number of miles on the offers page.

15. Book United Cruises With Partners

United Cruises is a fabulous way to earn more frequent flyer miles while taking another type of vacation!

Cruises all over Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and off the coasts of the U.S earn some huge miles bonuses. You can even earn up to 35,000 miles on all cruises!

Scroll down on the main page of the United Cruises website to find a list of special deals that will add even more to the everyday miles offer. Some cruise lines will earn you an extra 25,000 miles for a total of 50,000 miles!

16. Special Travel Partners

The following are a few unique services and products related to your travel experience. They each have bonus miles offered in partnership with MileagePlus and are worth taking a look at (especially if you’re a frequent traveler).

Register for Thanks Again with your MileagePlus number and the credit cards you will be using to make purchases.

In addition to the usual miles earned on everyday transactions, participants can qualify for an additional 5,000 miles if they spend $1,000 through the program in 1 calendar year.

Specialty Earnings for United MileagePlus Miles

United MileagePlus has partnered with lots of other companies to give you many different ways to earn extra miles.

17. Make a Donation

The National Foundation for Cancer Research was started in the 1970s to support cancer research and educating the public about prevention, early diagnosis, better treatments, and finding a cure for all types of cancer.

MileagePlus participates in the “Fly to Find a Cure” program to encourage members to donate to the cause. You can donate to this wonderful organization and earn MileagePlus miles in return.

Donations of $25 or more will earn 1 mile per $1 spent. Make a donation and the miles will post to your account in 4-6 weeks!

18. Home and Energy Services

The following are some great ways to earn additional miles through services for your home.

Be careful: the cost of these services may not outweigh the benefits in the end! Figure out what better offers you can get for similar services in your area, and then decide which one makes the most sense for you.

19. Financial and Security Services

United MileagePlus often has partnerships with companies in the personal finance and security services world. These services can help you earn extra miles when you sign up via the links provided or mention your MileagePlus number to an agent.

Consult a financial advisor before making any decisions, especially with any providers that are connected to your personal finances. It’s one thing to earn lots of extra miles using these options, but quite another to end up with a new account or loan for which you could have gotten a better rate elsewhere!

20. Fill out Surveys for Miles

Did you know there are data collection companies out there eager to get your marketing opinion in return for miles? All you have to do is sign up for free and fill out a few surveys or watch a few advertisements and give your opinion.

United MileagePlus has teamed up with Opinion Miles Club to offer you this super easy way to earn a few extra miles. These are good options if you need to keep an account active or earn a few more miles for an award ticket.

300 miles for joining and completing first survey (600 miles for MileagePlus Cardholders); then 50-70 miles per survey

21. Buy United Miles

Buying United miles should be left for times when you need to top off your MileagePlus account to book an award ticket. United occasionally offers bonuses for purchased miles, and if you can get them for a lower cost than their redemption value, you’ll come out ahead.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is the best way to earn United miles thanks to their higher earning rate and 1:1 transfer ratio. Paired with a MileagePlus credit card, you can earn some serious miles and fun perks.

To top it all off, you can earn tons of extra miles shopping and dining out thanks to United’s partnerships. Before you know it, you’ll be booking your next award flight with United miles!

FAQ

What are United miles?

United’s points program is called MileagePlus. The points you earn, redeem, and transfer are United MileagePlus miles.

Which credit cards earn United miles?

You can earn miles for United MileagePlus with the United Explorer℠ Card, United MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card, Chase United MileagePlus® Club Card, and Chase United MileagePlus® Club Business Card.

MileagePlus miles can also be earned by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards cards. These include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Freedom®, Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card, and Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card.

What are United MileagePlus miles worth?

The value of United MileagePlus miles depends on where you are redeeming your points. It lies somewhere between 1 cent per mile and 2.5 cents per mile depending on where you would otherwise go to spend your money.

At 2.5 cents per mile, that’s like getting a $100 ticket for the equivalent of about 4,000 United miles.

How do I transfer United MileagePlus miles to a spouse?

Sign in to your account at united.com and hover over MileagePlus in the navigation at the top. Choose Buy, Transfer, and Give miles and then select the “transfer miles” button.

Enter your account number and password again. Then fill out the information on the loaded page to transfer United miles to anyone who also has a MileagePlus account.

When do United MileagePlus miles post in your account?

Are United MileagePlus miles refundable?

Yes, but a $150 fee per traveler may apply. You can cancel a trip and get a redeposit of miles online.

When do United MileagePlus miles expire?

United MileagePlus miles expire after 18 months of inactivity. Your account will not expire for 18 months from the date of your most recent activity. Simply earn or redeem miles a minimum of every 18 months to keep your account from expiring.

Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience. Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class! Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal).

You wouldn’t be able to avoid a drop in your credit score completely if you decide to cancel and then reapply. However, the drop is only temporary and will likely restore after 3-4 months of keeping all your accounts in good shape. So, I wouldn’t worry about this. The only thing to consider is if you’ve had this card for many, many years – then canceling will bring down your “average account age” across the board. If you’ve only had the card for a couple years, I wouldn’t worry much – but if you’ve had it for 5 years then I’d strongly consider if the points are worth the drop in average account age for you. Hope that helps.

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Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. For more information on our advertisers, see here.